A traffic stop early Monday morning led to several charges for some out-of-province visitors who were subsequently being held for bail.
Barrie police communications co-ordinator Peter Leon said the three Quebec men were scheduled to appear in court today after a traffic stop shortly after midnight in the Dunlop Street and Cedar Pointe Drive area. Officers noticed an odour of cannabis.
“Officers were greeted with a smell of cannabis, which commenced an investigation which ultimately led them to a quantity of suspected cocaine, methamphetamines and break-in tools and master key that brought about the indictable offence of theft,” Leon said.
Leon said there's a device would-be thieves will plug into the vehicle's on-board computer which allows them to reconfigure the key fob, providing access to the vehicle which is then stolen. While the items may look “amateurish in nature,” he said it goes to show police are always working.
“While most residents are asleep and not thinking about their vehicles being stolen, people are out there lurking and looking,” Leon said. “These arrests show that police are also out there trying to make the streets safer for everyone.”
The three suspects, all of whom are in their 30s, have been charged with drug offences, conspiring to commit an indictable offence, possession of a master key and break-and-enter tools, as well as other out-of-province charges and breaches.
As of now, police are not aware of any thefts that can be potentially linked back to the suspects, but Leon said “if anything, the traffic stop thwarted any from happening afterwards.”
